PODCAST

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian Nightmare

Lachlan Peters

A comprehensive, long-form history podcast about Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge and the Pol Pot Regime.

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All Episodes

98:22

S3 Ep6: 1972 - Life (and Death) in the Liberated...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2026/01/04

Check out my visit to M13 at YouTube or https://www.patreon.com/Time Period Covered: 1971 - 1972 Why would someone join the Khmer Rouge? How would people view the parts of the country that were now being run by the communists? What was M13 and why is it so important? In this episode, Lachlan returns to discuss one of the most invaluable insights into the proto-type regime of Democratic Kampuchea and the countryside control of the Khmer Rouge. Ith Sarin's Regrets for the Khmer Soul, a detailed

78:38

S3 Ep10: Interview: The Super Great Leap Forward,...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2025/10/22

This episode is a follow-up to the two-hour discussion I had with historian Henri Locard. The video of that full conversation is available for free on Patreon right here (or just go to https://www.patreon.com/shadowsofutopia) - no sign up required.Henri Locard is a prominent scholar of the Khmer Rouge, he testified as an expert witness at the ECCC, and has written extensively on the subject. Most notably Pol Pot's Little Red Book, a collection of the slogans used by the Khmer Rouge, and most

34:17

Who Killed Haing Ngor? With Patricia Nunan

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2025/10/17

You've seen The Killing Fields, you probably know that Haing Ngor, who played Dith Pran in the film won an oscar. You might also know that he was murdered in Los Angeles. But the version of that story you've known for years... isn't true.Patricia Nunan, or MP, is a veteran journalist who has worked for a variety of well regarded institutions. She is now tackling the murder of Haing Ngo - completely challenging the narrative that I had assumed was completely sorted since the late 90's. I urge you

53:42

S3 Ep9: Krang Ta Chan - Ta Mok's S21

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2025/10/05

Watch my full walk around and visit to this terrible site (for free!) at https://www.patreon.com/posts/visiting-s21-of-140518814AGAIN. If you find yourself halfway through that 20 minute preamble, just click the bloody link and watch me investigate a site that no one ever sees. FOR FREE. NO SIGN UPS. JUST CLICK THE BLOODY LINK. Please excuse my indulgent preamble, and its emotion. But you can skip all that by just watching the video at the link above (again FOR FREE). I’ve just released a new

90:11

S3 Ep8: An Interview with An Ex-Khmer Rouge Doctor

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2025/09/30

This is an episode that could be listened to if you’d like, or if you’d prefer to watch it (without ads!) then head to https://patreon.com/shadowsofutopia and watch it for free, no sign ups, no obligations. It's a nice pleasant video, and just one click away.In this bonus episode, I sit down to go through and explain an interview I recently conducted with an ex-Khmer Rouge doctor, who we will refer to as ‘uncle’. He lived through the events that we have been covering so extensively in the last

19:55

S3 Ep7: On the Ground in Cambodia: The Future of...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2025/09/17

I’m back in Cambodia until the end of the year, researching my book on Pol Pot, visiting archives, and filming mini documentaries at places like Kraing Ta Chan prison, Pol Pot’s hometown of Prek Sbauv, and the jungles of Rattanakiri.You can watch these videos in full, for free, on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/shadowsofutopia Or send a one time donation via paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/lpeters1991 This project has been my life’s work for 8 years. But aside from all that went into

48:53

S3 Ep6: Witness to the end of the Cambodian, and...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2025/08/30

In this bonus podcast episode, I’ve invited veteran journalist Jim Laurie to reflect on a lifetime spent amid global upheaval. From the Nixon incursion into Cambodia to the oblivious tranquility of Phnom Penh before war erupted—Laurie shares his remarkable memories, including a poignant love story with a local woman, a comparison between the wars in Saigon and Cambodia, and the shock of revisiting Cambodia in 1979 to find destruction everywhere.This episode is enhanced by visuals, including

97:15

S3 Ep5: Chenla II: Lon Nol Strikes Out

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2025/08/11

What was the political fallout from Lon Nol's Stroke?How did race and religion become such a key theme of his regime? What led to the worst military defeat of the Cambodian Civil War? Time Period Covered: March - December 1971 In this episode, Lon Nol returns to Cambodia after recoving from a mild stroke in Hawaii. While many hoped he might step aside, and that the US might provoke a change in leadership, Lon Nol remained in power. His little brother's influence grew, and his obsession with

63:01

S3: Interview: Explaining The 2025 Thai Cambodian...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2025/07/28

In this episode, I talk with journalist and author Sebastian Strangio about the border tensions between Cambodia and Thailand that have escalated in July 2025. Sebastian is the Southeast Asia editor at The Diplomat and one of the region’s leading journalists. He’s a former reporter at the Phnom Penh Post, and the author of Hun Sen’s Cambodia (re-released as Cambodia: From Pol Pot to Hun Sen and Beyond) and In the Dragon’s Shadow, a study of China’s growing influence in Southeast Asia. We start

31:48

S3: (Bonus) A Brief History of the Thai Cambodian...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2025/07/25

Hello everyone, I've put together a quick look at the long history of the Thai Cambodia border dispute to compliment what I'm sure many of you are reading and watching in newspapers and on television. The escalation is far from good, and I hope it simmers down back to - as I'll discuss - a normal state of not-quite-peaceful. I cover the history from 900 CE to 2025, and everything from the 1794 retrocession of Battambang, the Franco-Thai War, Sihanouks ICJ case in 1962, Khmer Rouge border clashes

59:48

S3 Ep5: The Khmer Republic: Chenla One

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2025/06/15

How did the Khmer Republic try to take back control of Cambodia?Time Period Covered: June 1970 - January 1971 In this episode, we follow the Lon Nol government as it attempts to prove that the Khmer Republic can fight and win. After the initial chaos of the coup and the brief U.S. incursion, Cambodia’s leaders launch their first large-scale offensive: Operation Chenla I. We look at how the Cambodians, with American and South Vietnamese support, attempt to open Route 6, retake lost territory, and

41:06

S3 Ep4: Was Phnom Penh a Ghost Town In Democratic...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2025/05/24

Lachlan answers a common question about the Khmer Rouge regime:"What happened to the cities after the evacuation in 1975?" as well as another question about the terrible practicalities of life once the country was liberated in 1979: "How did people get their houses back once the Khmer Rouge were gone?" Please consider donating just $2 a month via Patreon or making a one time donation with PayPal Head to https://www.patreon.com/c/shadowsofutopia or www.shadowsofutopia.com/support

88:29

S3 Ep3: Pol Pot Rises

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2025/04/13

Why was Duch released from prison on April 3rd, 1970?How did Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge transition from small guerrilla enclaves to administering huge areas of Cambodia? What exactly was “Independence Mastery,” and why was it so central to the Khmer Rouge mindset? Time Period Covered: April 1970 – July 1971 In this episode, we pivot from Lon Nol’s takeover to the Cambodian communist perspective, exploring how Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge navigated the chaotic months following the coup. We

105:24

S3 Ep2: The Invasion - Part Two: A Vietnamese War In...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2025/01/26

Why did Nixon invade Cambodia in May 1970?What impact did the 'Cambodian Incursion' have on the war in Vietnam? How did this effect Cambodia? Time Period Covered: May - June 1970 In part two of our discussion about the situation in Cambodia after the coup which pushed Sihanouk from power, we see how the Nixon Whitehouse responded to the crisis facing Cambodia. Lachlan asks whether the decision that Nixon and Kissinger made was the right one, or whether there was a correct answer. We look at

82:24

S3 Ep1: The Invasion - Part One: Counting Bodies...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2025/01/13

What was the crisis facing the new Cambodian Government in April 1970?Why were the Vietnamese communities subjected to massacres? What circumstances led to a US invasion into Cambodia? Time Period Covered: April 1970 In this episode Lachlan explores the horrible aftermath of the coup against Sihanouk, a panicked new regime produced a pogrom against an innocent group of civilians. The Communist Vietnamese armies take much of the countryside. Journalists disappear as they report on the Vietnam

66:47

S2 Ep32: Season 2 Recap

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2024/10/22

Lachlan takes you back through the more than 30 hours of Season 2's storyline that took us through 15 years of Cambodian history. Support the show at https://www.shadowsofutopia.com/support.html

115:23

S2 Ep31: A Cambodian Coup! The "Red Prince" Falls

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2024/09/13

Were the CIA responsible for the coup against Sihanouk?Why did Lon Nol and Sirik Matak finally make a move against the prince? What did Sihanouk’s removal from power mean for the Khmer Rouge? Time Period Covered 1969 - 1970 In the final episode of this season, Lachlan covers the circumstances that surround the plot to remove Norodom Sihanouk from his position as head of state. Lon Nol and Sirik Matak will take advantage of the problem of Vietnamese troop presence on Cambodian land and turn it

122:22

S2 Ep30: Death From Above 1969: Operation Menu and...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2024/08/19

How did Cambodia become the ‘key’ to Nixon’s plan to end the Vietnam War?What was the secret bombing of Cambodia? What factors led to the end of Sihanouk’s leadership of the country? Time Period Covered 1968 - 1969 In this episode Lachlan looks at the gradually degrading situation in Cambodia, and the destabilization prior to a change in the Whitehouse that will only make matters worse. We look at Sihanouk’s movies, the Cambodian economy, and the Khmer Rouge as they continue their ‘armed

81:20

S2 Ep29: Bonus Episode: "Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot"...

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2024/07/19

Please Read this instruction! Hi everyone, sorry but if your podcast provider downloaded this episode when it first released on the 19th July, but you haven't listened yet, please remove the download and then re-download it. I have updated the introduction to the show. Thank you! Ok, and here is the regular stuff: How many journalists were able to set foot in Cambodia before the revolution, during the revolution and after the revolution? Not many. Elizabeth Becker is one of those people. In

139:01

S2 Ep28: Tet - Part Two: The My Lai Massacre

In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the... ·

2024/06/07

What role does the Tet Offensive play in the My Lai Massacre?What circumstances in troop deployment and officer training influenced what happened? Why were more than 500 civilians murdered by Charlie Company? Time Period Covered December 1967 - March 1968 In this episode, Lachlan confronts the horrors that occurred in My Lai on the 16th of March 1968. He attempts to answer why more than 500 civilians were killed, what the context of these killings were, as well as the role that officers such as

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In the Shadows of Utopia: The Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian Nightmare

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